Page 99 of Bane of the Wild Hunt

“You were in the middle of having a rather emotional moment, and I was not going to interrupt,” he assured me as he got to his own feet much more slowly.

“Now they will be waiting for us. I do not need to give him or any of them more reasons to dislike me!”

“It will be fine,” Sage insisted before turning toward the vargr. “Stay and rest. We will hunt in the morning.”

Neither of them made so much as a grunt of protest. They were too tired to want to hunt.

Sage took my hand and guided me toward the exit. Unlike the aes sídhe yurts, this tent had a small anteroom where it seemed Sage preferred to keep his boots and a few heavier cloaks on racks.

We stepped out of the tent and into a warm night that was set aglow by torches and campfire light. There had to be a silencing ward around the tent because once we were outside it, I could hear all the sounds of a bustling camp. The scents of leather, smoke, ale, and cooking food made me sigh with appreciation.

Some louder laughter burst out, drawing my attention to a group of boisterous males sharing a flagon at a fire. However, they stood quickly to salute Sage when they saw us walking by. There were all manner of fey among their jovial ranks but no other aes sídhe.

“Does no one sleep?” I whispered once we’d passed a few of these types of groups.

“We have a good assortment of fey who prefer either day or night and we try to respect that when it comes to scheduling watches.”

“They are on watch? In the camp? Who exactly are you expecting to attack you from inside the camp?”

“It is a long story, but suffice it to say for now that we are not wholly welcome here,” Sage explained just before we were intercepted by a large form.

My ears pressed back and down as I peered up at the looming giant and then sidled just a little closer to Sage. The male before us stood on two legs and was wearing leather armour and fur despite the humidity. He carried a massive longbow and broadsword across his back along with a wickedly tipped pikewhich he stomped against the ground as he came to a stop in front of Sage. His skin was a fawny, olive-green tone, and his hair was long and elaborately braided with painted bone beads. His tipped ears were tall and pierced with gold rings and wooden spacers in the lobes. The tips of blunted tusks peeked over his upper lip from the robust bottom jaw.

He was an orc; I had seen more than enough of their kind to recognize them anywhere. Although I’d only ever seen the Summer variety with vivid green eyes whereas this Autumn male had amber eyes.

I remembered Sage’s assurance that I would easily find willing partners and realized he was right. I’d fucked my share of orcs. They were rough and demanding lovers.

“A little dryad,” rumbled the orc with clear interest. “This is the prisoner for whom you have ignored us? I am much less offended,” he told Sage with approval.

“Summer, this is Uthar. He helps train new recruits,” Sage explained. “Do not touch her without permission!” he added to the orc who I realized had been reaching for the wisps of my hair on my shoulder.

“She is yours?” the orc verified in evident surprise. “We did not think aes sídhe were so possessive—”

“No,her permission, Uthar,” Sage said in exasperation that made me giggle in spite of the situation.

“Well, that is good. Dryads like me,” the orc advised us both confidently, and then his eyes returned to freely roaming over me with an intention I easily recognized.

Sage gently pressed me behind him, drawing the orc’s attention once more.

“Just consider this one off limits unless she explicitly requests otherwise,” Sage suggested.

Uthar grimaced at him, an expression which I knew was meant to convey mere distaste even though it could look quite intimidating.

“Fine. She is yours until she comes to her senses.”

“She is… Yes, alright,” Sage agreed, reaching back to grab my hand and tug me along after him. “Rian awaits,” he added, and Uthar grunted in understanding.

“I look forward to having you back,” the orc said as we passed, and Sage raised a hand in acknowledgement.

“Sorry,” he muttered to me once we had passed out of Uthar’s hearing. “I didn’t want to have to claim you like that, but I am sure you know orcs can be… tenacious. If they think you are mine, then it will keep suitors at bay until you are ready to explore your options if you ever decide to.”

“Just a necessary deception,” I dismissed his concern, cursing myself when my voice came out a little breathy thanks to the way he’d described me as his. Even though I knew very well it was not what he’d meant to insinuate. “Had I realized that there were orcs here then I might have suggested it.”

Orcs were fierce and uncompromising people who only respected physical might. They believed that if they were able to take something they wanted, then they were entitled to it. Orc females were every bit as brutal as their masculine counterparts, so they had the utmost respect of their males. But little dryads like me were considered fair game unless claimed by another male. In my experience, only an assertion of possession could dissuade them from pursuing me, and even then, they had to feel the male was completely deserving. They would challenge anyone that they felt was inferior to themselves.

“Then you are familiar with orcs,” Sage guessed.

“Unfortunately, they like dryads a lot. I am surprised they have joined your army. They don’t usually play nice with others for very long if there are enough of them to gang up on other fey.”

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